Cough past tense

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Meaning of cough

to expel air from the lungs suddenly with a harsh noise, often involuntarily.

Infinitive

Word: cough /kɒf/
Examples:
  • 1. She coughs every morning due to her allergies.
  • 2. My dog often coughs after drinking water too quickly.
  • 3. He always coughs nervously when he lies.

Past Simple

Word: coughed /kɒft/
Examples:
  • 1. I coughed loudly to get their attention during the meeting.
  • 2. She coughed all night and couldn't get any sleep.
  • 3. He coughed awkwardly to signal that he had something important to say.

Past Participle

Word: coughed /kɒft/
Examples:
  • 1. The medicine has been coughed up by the patient during the night.
  • 2. The secret was finally coughed up by the reluctant witness during the interrogation.
  • 3. By the end of the cold season, the harsh cough had been coughed out by nearly everyone in the office.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual Action.
    Example. He coughs every morning because of his allergies.
    Example. People often cough more when they are lying down.
    Example. [Less common with the verb 'cough' as it’s rarely planned or scheduled, but it's theoretically possible if, for example, discussing a point in a play or a performance where a cough is scripted.]
  2. General Truths or Natural Facts.
    Example. He coughs every morning because of his allergies.
    Example. People often cough more when they are lying down.
    Example. [Less common with the verb 'cough' as it’s rarely planned or scheduled, but it's theoretically possible if, for example, discussing a point in a play or a performance where a cough is scripted.]
  3. Timetabled or Scheduled Events (in the near future, but more common with other verbs).
    Example. He coughs every morning because of his allergies.
    Example. People often cough more when they are lying down.
    Example. [Less common with the verb 'cough' as it’s rarely planned or scheduled, but it's theoretically possible if, for example, discussing a point in a play or a performance where a cough is scripted.]

Past Simple

  1. Completed Action in the Past.
    Example. She coughed throughout the night but felt better in the morning.
    Example. He coughed, sneezed, and then took some medicine last night.
    Example. She always coughed while smoking, before she finally quit smoking.
  2. A Series of Completed Actions.
    Example. She coughed throughout the night but felt better in the morning.
    Example. He coughed, sneezed, and then took some medicine last night.
    Example. She always coughed while smoking, before she finally quit smoking.
  3. Past Habit or Regular Occurrence.
    Example. She coughed throughout the night but felt better in the morning.
    Example. He coughed, sneezed, and then took some medicine last night.
    Example. She always coughed while smoking, before she finally quit smoking.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect Tenses.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.
  2. Example (Present Perfect). I have coughed all day, but I am starting to feel better now.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.
  3. Example (Past Perfect). She had coughed for a week before she visited the doctor.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.
  4. Example (Future Perfect). By next week, he will have coughed for a month; it’s time to see a specialist.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.
  5. Passive Voice.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.
  6. Adjectival Use.
    Example. The patient was observed and noted to have coughed during the night.
    Example. Tired and coughed out, she decided to call in sick for work tomorrow. [Note. This use is more creative and less conventional, altering 'coughed' into an adjective to describe a state. Formal grammar might not recognize 'coughed out' as standard, but it demonstrates the flexibility of language in conveying meaning.

Common mistakes

— 01

Misinterpreting the Spelling

A frequent mistake is misunderstanding the spelling change when forming the past tense of 'cough' to 'coughed.' Unlike some verbs that require the final consonant to be doubled or changed, 'cough' simply requires the addition of 'ed' without altering the base form. However, learners might mistakenly believe a more complex change is needed due to irregular verb patterns or confusion with similar-sounding verbs, leading to incorrect spellings such as 'cought' or 'coughd.'

— 02

Pronunciation

The correct pronunciation of 'coughed' is /kɒft/, with the 'ed' ending pronounced as a 't' sound. This pronunciation can be counterintuitive for English learners who might expect the 'ed' ending to sound as it appears. Consequently, they might incorrectly pronounce 'coughed' with a more emphasized 'ed' sound, such as /kɒfɛd/ or /kɒfəd/, instead of the correct soft 't' sound that blends with the preceding 'gh.'

— 03

Incorrect Use in Tense

Although 'coughed' is used correctly as both the past simple and past participle form, some learners may incorrectly use it due to a lack of understanding of tense and aspect distinctions in English. For instance, using 'coughed' without auxiliary verbs where they are needed for perfect tense constructions (e.g., 'I have coughed,' 'They had coughed') or misusing it in continuous or progressive aspects (e.g., saying 'I was coughed' instead of 'I was coughing' for ongoing action in the past) demonstrates a misunderstanding of verb form usage in different grammatical contexts. Recognizing when and how to use 'coughed' appropriately within various tenses and constructions is essential for accurate English usage.

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Frequently asked questions

What is the past simple form of 'cough'?

The past simple form of 'cough' is 'coughed.' This form is used to describe an action that happened at a specific time in the past. For example, 'Yesterday, I coughed all day because of my cold.'

How is the past participle of 'cough' used?

The past participle form of 'cough' is also 'coughed.' It is used in perfect tense constructions to describe actions that have been completed at some point in the past. For example, in the present perfect tense, you might say, 'I have coughed several times this morning.' In the passive voice, it might be used like, 'He was coughed upon by a sick passenger on the bus.'

Can you give an example of 'coughed' used in a sentence in the past perfect tense?

Yes, an example of 'coughed' in the past perfect tense would be, 'By the time the doctor arrived, I had coughed so much that my throat was sore.' In this sentence, 'had coughed' indicates an action that was completed before another action in the past. Is there any difference in the usage of 'coughed' between American and British English